I have been on the scat cat , Great for the tourist .
Adventurer, great crew works hard , wpould go with them again
DD (dolphin express 2 times) fast boat good crew however doesn't work well with heavy seas
DSH allround good boats and crew

Never fished with the charter companies but have heard great things about DeapSea HQ. The one I would not use is the Scat Cat or any of its affliates. When fishing out of POC this Saturday we came across the Scat Cat and saw hundreds and hundreds of dead snapper floating on the water. Almost all the snapper we saw had their airbladders protruding. Uncalled for and very damaging to an already fragile stock.

Fab and anyone else wanting to go out on the Scat Cat or WharfCat. I second the notion not to use them. Until they can respect the fishery of which they make a living from and stop allowing their catches to end up as bird food floating on the surface dead due to their air bladdes not being properly deflatted with a small incision, then we should all boycott those companies.

If nothing can be done to change this behavior then all we can do is just not go with those charters anymore.

I think that the best we can probably do is stop using those specific charters, and make people aware of the situation. Because unfortunately, for those of us that see or understand the problem, a majority of the customers that go on these trips don't. I've been on the boats out of Fishermans wharf and can't honestly say that I have witnessed something like that, but it doesn't surprise me either. There really is no excuse for it. Whether it is a matter of an unexperienced person or not, it doesn't fly with me. It only takes a second to show or tell someone how to deflate the air bladder. The captain has an announcement system, the deckhands can tell someone as they walk by, and a passenger who does know can lean to the person next to them and politely, point out what is happening and what should be done. That's just my opinion. Opinions are just like a.....

Thanks for all the information!
I booked a 12 hr trip on the Dolphin Express.
Hope the fishing and weather goes well.
I will post my results and pictures upon my return.

Thanks again to all who replied.

If you have any tips on things I should take along or equipment that bring to perhaps improve my chances, please post.

Tight lines to all!!
[img]http://www.geocities.com/cqt7346/Fish/fish_morph[/img]

I would most definitely recommend the Scat Cat out of Fisherman's Wharf in Port Aransas. The boats are the biggest, they consistently catch more fish and their crews are great. AJones said that he had seen something the Scat Cat did that was out of line a couple of weeks ago and I wasn't there to see, but I have been out so many times on the Scat Cat and have never ever seen anything like what he talked about. Maybe he was exaggerating to make a point? Too many things could have played into this. I don't think he realizes the depth that these fish are caught at..............most of the fish are dead when they are brought up. Let's work towards getting the laws changed on how the snapper are caught. Scat Cat is the best choice, in my opinion. Wherever you fish, have a good trip!

No exaggerating, there were hundreds of dead snapper floating in the water, We run across charter boats often and I have never seen anything like it. Hind sight is 20/20 and if I only had a video camera I could prove what we saw. The same day we came across the Pelican or one of the others in that fleet and did not see hardly any dead fish coming from them.

I was not there, but have fished more times than I can count on the scat Cat and have never seen anything other than a well run charter business. Again, take into account how many of those fish are dead when they reach the surface due to the depth that they are being brought up from. Did you read the post by a Mr. Jim Smarr regarding the regulations and the role that the Scat Cat owners and RFA are playing in getting these laws changed? It was on the Port O was great but disturbing post on this site. Very informative post by Mr. Smarr. I for one will be supporting the changes and RFA, and I applaud Fisherman's Wharf for their part in supporting the much needed changes.

I'll back you 100% Alan!

Deej - Please be careful not to say something that's not accurate information.

Offshore fish caught from extreme depths are not DEAD upon reaching the surface...they have their stomachs inverted out their mouthes since the air bladder is inflated due to not being able to decompress upon rising to the surface.

They CAN be released unharmed and return to the bottom by using a large needle, ice pick, fillet knife blade behind the pectoral fin and even with the fourth or fifth dorsal spine. Insert it to deflate the air bladder so the fish can submerge to its habitat.

Otherwise, we end up feeding the porpoises, sharks, king mackerel or let to float off behind the party boats.

I've seen this too many times and believe that recreational anglers should have the same size limit as the commercial folks or allow the first 4 snapper caught as your daily bag limit. Just think how many homeless folks, boys & girls homes, etc. the undersized, floating red snapper could feed on a daily basis.

Breambuster, please read the post that I mentioned by Mr. Smarr regarding this issue. Facts are facts.

How many undersized snapper have you caught and were dead upon releasing them back into the water?

Myself, none, and those with the stomach/air bladder sticking out their mouths, were able to swim back down after their sides were punctured with a large needle.

Attach the artilce/webpage and I'b glad to read it.

Red Snapper being brought up from depths are dead meat according to a 40,000 dollar study
the Texas Recreational Fishing Alliance had done three years ago. Barbra Dorf from the UTPA Marine Science Center conducted the mortality study. RFA has pushed for first four or five fish with National Marine Fisheries.Back during the 18' fish the regulatory discards were
horriable. The Guys at Fishermans Warf the owners
of the Warf Cat and Scat Cat funded a lawsuit to stop the federal government from setting size limits instead of bag limits. New studies are out that should allow Texas to have a separate zone so we can set our own regulations. The study we did concluded bladder deflation really
did no good. From depths the fish die period.
A major Conservation group lobbied for catch and release in red snapper offshore fishery and killed Fishermans warf and Texas RFA's movement
to a more realistic first four or five fish in a New Orleans stake holders meeting.They even intervened in the lawsuit in favor of an 18' fish and millions of pounds of discards. We are all working to try to implement a workable plan.
National Marine Fisheries is very aware of the problem but will not give us a separate zone for Texas so we can keep first fish caught and truly protect our resources. The Port Aransas Party Boat Operators are funding the work needed to stop this nonsense through Texas RFA. I hate this is the only way for the weekend fisherman to see how our government has worked against fisherman by not allowing first four or five fish and go home. The resource would be way ahead. I have talked to Port Aransas and Fishermans Warf today about this issue.

There is work being done and Port Aransas Head Boats are funding the entire project.These boats are the only method for blue collar guys and gals to access their resource in the Gulf of Mexico.

Jim Smarr
Chairman Texas Recreational Fishing Alliance
361-463-1558
jsmarr@sbcglobal.net

Snapper caught in deep water have the bends just like a diver. De-flation of air bladder according to several studies showed almost no survival. Once a fish is distressed it is like ringing the dinner bell for the food chain. Fish caught in state waters and under 15" in length should survive. The swim bladder in fish over 14" does not recover when brought up from deep water. The fish that have been punctured seem to
fill with water at depth. This slows them down and allows them to be easy prey for the food chain. These studies were done in South Padre
with divers observing a few years ago. Some fish were put in cages. I hope this was useful in explaining why we need first four or five fish and go home. Regulatory discards are hard to stomach for the Anglers much less the snapper.
As far as the comment about fishermen not respecting the first four or five fish and high grading all I can say is we are a law abiding society for the most part for the rest there is the Judicial system or Huntsville.
Jim Smarr
Texas RFA

Deej,

Maybe they die or live but it sure makes me feel better to watch them swim off after catching and giving them a shot at survival instead of throwing them back with no chance.

As for the study you keep talking about what depths were the studies for?


Alan